Stay mechanism for self-closing door hinge



Oct. 19, 1955 w. B. RUIZ 3,212,126

STAY MECHANISM FOR SELF-CLOSING DOOR HINGE Filed Oct. 15, 1963 INVENTOR. WILLIAM B. RUIZ BY fim gm ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,212,126 STAY MECHANISM FOR SELF-CLOSING DOOR HINGE William B. Ruiz, 708 NW. 53rd St., Miami, Fla. Filed Oct. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 316,227 2 Claims. '(Cl. 16-189) My invention relates to self-closing door hinges and is directed particularly to mechanism for staying their operation at a plurality of open positions, selectively, of a door equipped with such hinges.

In my United States Patent No, 3,098,258, issued on July 23, 1963, there is described a self-closing door hinge operated by a torsion spring and including mechanism for retarding the accelerating action of the torsion spring on the hinge leaves at an even and comparatively slow rate to obviate door slamming.

The present invention is an improvement over selfclosing door hinge mechanisms of the type exemplified by my above-mentioned patent in that it provides improved mechanism for staying the self-closing action and of such hinges at one of a plurality of open positions of a door, selectively, by simple manual adjustment.

Yet another object is to provide a staying mechanism for self-closing door hinges which can be released from open staying position automatically simply by pushing the associated door toward closed position.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a stay mechanism for a self-closing door hinge which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to adjust, and foolproof in operation.

,Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description when considered withreference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a door hinge embodying the invention, shown in open position;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a horiznotal cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along a plane including the line 44 of FIG. 1, but showing the hinge installed and adjusted to stay the door at a 90- degree open position, portions of the door and door frame being cut away;

FIG. 6 is an oblique view of the movable cylindrical cam, shown separately and on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 7 is an outside view of the hinge, on a reduced scale and showing the hinge mechanism cover assembled in Place; and

FIG. 8 is a top view of the hinge shown in FIG. 7, with a portion of the hinge cover broken away to show its construction.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 10 in FIG. 1 designates generally a self-closing door hinge embodying my invention, the same comprising a pair or hinge leaves 11, 12 having counter-sunk attachment screw holes 13, 14, respectively, a pintle 15, a torsion spring 16 and a compression spring 17. The hinge leaf 11 is formed along one side with a pair of aligned end pintle-receiving knuckles 18, 19. The hinge leaf 12 is formed with aligned, pintle-receiving knuckles 21, 22 registering with and abutting the inner ends of the end knuckles 18, 19, respectively, of the hinge leaf 11. The pintle 15 extends through the aligned openings of the registering leaf knuckles 18, 19, 21 and 22. The helical torsion spring 16 is disposed circumjacent the pintle 15 between the lower end of the upper pintle-receiving knuckle 21 of the hinge leaf 12, and the upper end of an annular spacer 20 which is fixed to said pintle at an intermediate position along its length as by a taper pin 23. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the inner end 24 of the torsion spring 16 is hooked behind the inner longitudinal edge of the hinge leaf 11. The other end 24a of the torsion spring 16 is bent upwardly into parallel offset relation to the longitudinal axis of said spring to be received in an off center opening 25a in an annular adjustment sleeve member 25 rotatably fitted on the pintle 15 and constrained between the knuckle 21 and the upper end of the spring 16. The sleeve member 25 is formed with a plurality of radial bores 25b adapted to receive the point of a nail or similar tool for adjusting the spring 16 to the desired tension. A cylindrical plug 250 is removably fitted into one of the bores 25b, selectively, said plug having a projecting end portion which abuts against the inner longitudinal edge of the hinge leaf 12, whereby the hinge leaves 11, 12 are resiliently constrained into closing position with a force determined by the adjustment of the sleeve member 25, as above-described.

Means is provided for counteracting the closing action of the torsion spring 16. To this end, the upper end of the pintle-receiving knuckle 22 of the hinge leaf 12 is cut at an angle to provide a cam surface 26. Slidably arranged onthe pintle 15 is a cylindrical cam member 27 having a cam surface 28 in cooperative, relatively sliding disposition against the cam surface 26 of the hinge leaf 11. The movable cam member 27 is formed with a longia tudinally grooved side portion 29 which rides along the inside marginal edge portion of the hinge leaf 11.

The mechanism for staying the self-closing action of the hinge at any one of a plurality of door positions, selectively, will now be described. To this end, as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6, the upper end of the movable cam member 27 extends somewhat beyond the grooved side portion 29 thereof, and is countersunk to provide an annular recess 35 defining an annular, upper peripheral wall 36. As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, the inner half of the peripheral wall 36 is provided with a plurality of substantially equidistantly spaced arcuate recesses 37. Seated within annular recess 35 is the loop end 38 of an adjustment rod 39, which may be of stiff wire. As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the adjustment rod 39 passes horizontally through one of the wall recesses 37 and terminates in a vertically extending loop 40 which serves as a handle for adjustment, as is hereinbelow more fully described.

The adjustment rod 39 is thin enough not to interfere with full closure of the hinge. The compression spring 17 is arranged circumjacent the pintle 15 and is constrained between the lower surface of the intermediate spacer 20 and the upper surface of a washer 41 fitted on said pintle and seated atop the loop end 38 of the adjustment rod 39. It will thus be apparent that the adjustment rod 39 is resiliently held in seated position in any selected one of the recesses 37 of the movable cam member 27, and that movement from one position to another in said recesses can be effected manually simply by lifting the handle end of said rod upwardly against the action of the compression spring 17 and then moving it arcuately into the desired recess, for the purpose hereinbelow more fully described.

The lower end of the pintle 15 is threaded, as indicated at 31, to receive thereon an adjustment nut 32 and a lock nut 33, each of which is provided with a plurality of radial openings 34 to permit adjustment by means of a spanner wrench.

In operation, closure of the hinge (and consequently closure of the door) by action of the torsion spring 16 in the usual manner is resisted by the compressional reactive force of the spring 17, since closure of the hinge necessitates downward sliding motion against said spring by action of the cam surface 26 against the cam surface 28 of movable cam member 29. The spring and' cam arrangement is such that as the hinge approaches fully closed position, increased resistance results, so that instead of accelerating into closed position with a slam, a door will slow up into shut position with just enough force to insure full closure. Turning of the adjustment nut 32 permits easy pre-setting of the compression of the spring 17 to accommodate doors of different size or weight.

FIG. 5 illustrates how a door D is held or stayed in 90 degree open position by abutment of the movable hinge leaf 11 against the adjustment rod 39. FIG. 5 illustrates in broken line representation how placement of the adjustment rod 39 in other arcuate recesses 37 as above described, would serve to hold the door open at 45, 135 and 180 degrees, selectively. FIG. 4 illustrates, in broken line representation, the position of the adjustment rod 39 for holding the door open at 45 degrees. Closure of a door so held open is effected simply by pushing the door into closing position, whereupon the adjustment rod will be forced to ride out of its arcuate recess 37 and over any other recesses in the direction of full closure, to seat at rest in the recess extending parallel with the hinge leaf 11, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4.

While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in which my invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood that this form is presented by way of example only and not in a limiting sense. In short, my invention includes all the forms and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a self-closing door hinge, the combination comprising, a pair of hinge leaves having interfitting knuckles providing a common pivotal opening, a pintle received in said pivotal opening and holding said hinge leaves in relative swinging relation, a first cylindrical cam member secured to one of said hinge leaves and surrounding said pintle and having at one end a flat cam surface inclined to the longitudinal axis of said pintle, a second cylindrical cam member slidably arranged on said pintle and having guide means constraining said second cam member to movement along an edge portion of the other of said' hinge leaves in the direction of said longitudinal axis, said second cylindrical cam member having at one end a flat cam surface in face-to-face abutment with said cam surface of said first cam member when said hinge leaves are in substantially fully open position, means for resiliently constraining said second cam member into abutting relation with said first cam member for urging said hinge leaves in substantially fully open position, a torsion spring circumjacent said pintle and so arranged and stressed to normally urge said hinge leaves in relatively closed position in opposition to the urging of said second cam member constraining means, and mechanism for holding said hinge leaves in one of a plurality of relatively open positions, selectively, against the urging of said torsion spring, said mechanism comprising an adjustment rod pivotally connected to said pintle and extending radially thereof between said hinge leaves, and means resiliently holding said adjustment rod at a plurality of arcuately spaced fixed positions with respect to one of said hinge leaves.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said adjustment rod holding means comprises a plurality of arcuately spaced recesses formed on the other end of said second cam member, said second cam member constraining means comprising a helical compression spring circumjacent said pintle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 591,693 10/97 Rentsch 16145 1,042,936 10/ 12 Loughren 16146 1,294,044 2/19 Buckwalter et al. 16-146 1,853,659 4/32 Briskin 16l42' 2,935,761 5/60 Frohlich 16l89 3,098,258 7/63 Ruiz 16-189 DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A SELF-CLOSING DOOR HINGE, THE COOMBINATION COMPRISING, A PAIR OF HINGE LEAVES HAVING INTERFITTING KNUCKLES PRIVODING A COMMON PIVOTAL OPENING, A PINTLE RECEIVED IN SAID PIVOTAL OPENING AND HOLDING SAID HINGE LEAVES IN RELATIVE SWINGING RELATION, A FIRST CYLINDRICAL CAM MEMBER SECURED TO ONE OF SAID HINGE LEAVES AND SURROUNDING SAID PINTLE AND HAVINNG AT ONE END A FLAT CAM SURFACE INCLINED TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID PINTLE, A SECOND CYLINDRICAL CAM MEMBER SLIDABLY ARRANGED ON SAID PINTLE AND HAVING GUIDE MEANS CONSTRAINING SAID SECOND CAM MEMBER TO MOVEMENT ALONG AN EDGE PORTION OF THE OTHER OF SAID HINGE LEAVES IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, SAID SECOND CYLINDRICAL CAM MEMBER HAVING AT ONE END A FLAT CAM SURFACE IN FACE-TO-FACE ABUTMENT WITH SAID CAM SURFACE OF SAID FIRST CAM MEMBER WHEN SAID HINGE LEAVES ARE IN SUBSTANTIALLY FULLY OPEN POSITION, MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY CONSTRAINING SAID SECOND CAM MEMBER INTO ABUTTING RELATION WITH SAID FIRST CAM MEMBER FOR URGING SAID HINGE LEAVES IN SUBSTANTIALLY FULLY OPEN POSITION, A TORSION SPRING CIRCUMJACENT SAID PINTLE AND SO ARRANGED AND STRESSED TO NORMALLY URGE SAID HINGE LEAVES IN RELATIVELY CLOSED POSITION IN OPPOSITION TO THE URGING OF SAID SECOND CAM MEMBER CONSTRAINING MEANS, AND MECHANISM FOR HOLDING SAID HINGE LEAVES IN ONE OF A PLURALITY OF RELATIVELY OPEN POSITIONS, SELECTIVELY, AGAINST THE URGING OF SAID TORSION SPRING, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING AN ADJUSTMENT ROD PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID PINTLE AND EXTENDING RADIALLY THEREOF BETWEEN SAID HINGE LEAVES, AND MEANS RESILIENTLY HOLDING SAID ADJUSTMENT ROD AT A PLURALITY OF ARCUATELY SPACED FIXED POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO ONE OF SAID HINGE LEAVES. 